School district's job fair draws hundreds

Smithton Middle School was alive with activity yesterday morning as hundreds of potential Columbia Public Schools employees eagerly awaited the chance to talk with a district administrator.

The interviews were part of the district’s annual job fair, which attracted more than 500 people. The district holds a fair each year, said Dana Clippard, assistant superintendent of human resources.

“Every year we hire well over 100 individuals who are new to the district. The first source of go-to information is from the job fair,” Clippard said. “When you have had face-to-face contact with a CPS leader … you’re going to be a priority candidate.”

The fair brought out a “whole range” of candidates interested in jobs with the district, Clippard said, including local college students close to graduation, employees from other school districts and current district employees on temporary contracts.

Katherine Simon, 29, traveled from Fort Smith, Ark., to interview. She is getting ready to graduate from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith and is looking for a job as a high school science teacher. Her mother, who lives in Osage Beach, alerted her to the job fair.

Simon said science has always been a passion for her, and in recent years she decided she wanted to share that passion with others. “I’ve worked other jobs as a receptionist and secretary, but I wanted to find a job where I felt like I made a difference,” Simon said.

As a science teacher, Simon would help fill a nationwide shortage of science and math teachers. To help engage more candidates for those types of positions, Marilyn Soucie, coordinator of MU’s Science and Mathematics Academy for the Recruitment and Retention of Teachers, or SMAR2T, set up a booth at the fair.

SMAR2T is an alternative certification program that helps individuals with bachelor’s degrees in science or math fields earn their master’s and teacher certification.

“We have individuals that have had very successful careers in math, science and engineering who will … now bring that experience to the classroom,” Soucie said.

Hawk Casey, 22, who also interviewed for a position as a high school science teacher, said he sees a sense of urgency in getting more interest in science and math fields. “The U.S. is falling behind in science, and that’s unfortunate for us because we used to be leaders in science,” he said.

If Casey sees students with a passion for science, he said he would push them to pursue a career in the field. If students dislike science, he said he hopes to at least help them to enjoy the subject.

Casey, a walk-in candidate, interviewed with Kim Presko, principal of Oakland Junior High School and future principal of Battle High School. Presko said she’s helped out with the fair for several years.

“It’s an opportunity as a principal to go to see what is potentially out there through the individuals that come out,” she said. “There’s really good people to talk to and start making connections with.”